School is almost in session, and much like every year, many changes come with that first ring of the bell. In the Emery County School District (ECSD), not only do those changes include a new high school building, but also the hiring of a new Superintendent in Jim Shank.
Castle Country Radio sat down with Superintendent Shank to talk about his experience as a superintendent, what’s coming up in the ECSD, and what the school year may hold.
Opening our conversation, Superintendent Shank shared about his over 15 years of Superintendent experience,” I’m coming to you directly from Washington State. So I spent the last little bit in Ocean Shores, Washington, which is west of Olympia, right on the coast. However, I’m not a complete stranger to Utah, as I served as a superintendent down in the Juab County School District. And I also did my teaching in Alpine School District.” Shank continued,” I also worked in the Idaho Falls School District for 17 years. So it’s great to bring that experience here.”
David Svien, a journalist who runs coupvillesports.com and covered Shank during his time in the Coupeville School District, spoke highly of Shank sharing with Castle Country Radio,” I think quite highly of Dr. Shank, and believe he was the best Superintendent we’ve had in Coupeville in my 30-plus years here.” Svien also stated,” He accomplished quite a bit here, worked extremely well with everyone, and was well-liked and respected.”
Summer has been especially busy with the ECSD, but Superintendent Shank has jumped right into things to help aid the district,” we hit the ground running. And that’s great. You want to be actively engaging great things with the school district and with the community,” Shank explained,” So that’s one piece of work that needed to be done, as well as just making sure that everything’s in order for the school year to start in terms of staffing, curriculum, materials, and just becoming a part of a community and a professional learning community within the school district. You’re getting to know people, wanting to know what their needs, their wants are. Up to the stakeholders, right down to the students that I’ve talked to.”
Another item that’s been causing waves in the school district is the construction of the new Emery High School Building, which recently completed phase two of construction, allowing it to welcome in Students when school gets back in session on Wednesday, Aug. 14. “There are some great additions, some great opportunities that students are going to be able to see. It’s a beautiful facility.” Continuing, Shank stated,” For instance, the Career Technical Education wing is gorgeous and there’s going to be great opportunities for kids to be able to go in there and learn those types of skills. But it’s all new. It’s all exciting.”
Superintendent Shank also shared what his grand vision is for the ECSD,” So one of the focuses that we always want to make sure that we never forget is that we come together every day. The reason that we exist is for teaching and learning growth, students being able to go where they are, improve and reach the goals that they’re after … So when you think of all the content that we teach, reading, math, science, all of those areas and subjects, we want to make sure that we’re always working to do better at what it is that we’re presenting to our kids. So that’s always going to be job number one, right along with safety, security, making sure that our kids feel well about coming to all of our schools and our buildings. That they feel like that when they come in, they’re going to be in a great place where their needs are going to be met.”
Closing out our conversation, Shank shared some exciting things coming up in the district,” we’re planning an open house around homecoming at Emery High School. And we, of course, are interested in people, especially those that are supporting our system, to come on out and look at what a great building that is.”
For more information on what is going on within the Emery County School District, you can visit their website here.